West End play 2:22: A Ghost Story recently announced their brand new cast, with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl set to take over the role of Jenny, making her acting debut.
But EastEnders star Jake Wood, who has returned to the play after being in the original, defended her casting.
"The demographic is quite exciting," he said exclusively to Digital Spy. "I think there's a younger audience. I think down to the very clever casting, we've got Cheryl on this one so we're getting a lot of younger fans in. I think anything that gets a younger audience into theatres is an amazing thing."
Related: Cheryl shares plans for future acting roles
Louise Ford, who plays Lauren in the production, added: "It's nice that everyone is so young and so up for it."
Cheryl added how much the audience makes a difference to the production, saying: "We do two matinees, one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday, and then you can feel the difference between afternoon and evening which is natural.
"As the week progresses, they get more and more excited. They get a Friday feeling, a Saturday night is raring to go, Sundays are calm but focused and then it gradually gets more electric."
Related: Buy tickets to Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman's stage return
Scott Karim, who plays Jenny's partner Sam, said: "It could be the same thing over and over, but the audience keeps it so fresh."
Jake recently replaced actor Hugo Chegwin in the play, after he had to pull out due to illness.
"I had three days of rehearsal and I was back on stage after a year and a half," he said. "It was a long week but I'm really excited to be back in the cast. I love the play, I loved it right from when I read it. I thought it was the best play I've ever read so it was a no-brainer to return. We have an amazing cast."
2:22: A Ghost Story is currently on at the Lyric Theatre. Tickets are available here.
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